Spain cancels €700 million Israeli rocket launcher contract amid Gaza offensive Photo

The Spanish government has formally cancelled a nearly €700 million contract for Israeli-designed rocket launchers, according to an official document reviewed by Agence France-Presse on September 15.

The decision follows Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s announcement last week that his administration would “consolidate in law” a ban on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel in response to its offensive in Gaza.

The contract, awarded to a consortium of Spanish companies, involved the acquisition of 12 SILAM rocket launcher systems based on the PULS platform developed by Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance. Local media outlets and the Israeli newspaper Haaretz first reported the cancellation, which was officially posted on Spain’s public contracts platform on September 9.

The day after the formal cancellation, Sanchez introduced a series of measures aimed at halting what his leftist government described as the “genocide in Gaza.” Central to these measures is a decree banning any military equipment sales or purchases with Israel, in reaction to its ongoing military campaign launched after the Hamas attacks in October 2023.

Spain has also annulled another contract for 168 anti-tank missile launchers, valued at €287 million, which were to be produced under license from an Israeli firm. Spanish daily La Vanguardia reports that the government is conducting a broader review of Israeli weapons and technology in the armed forces, aiming to gradually phase them out.

In addition to military sanctions, Sanchez called for Israel to face restrictions in international sports due to the Gaza conflict. He praised thousands of demonstrators who forced the cancellation of the final stage of the Vuelta a España, one of the world’s largest cycling races, over the presence of an Israeli team.

“Our position is clear and categorical: as long as the barbarity continues, neither Russia nor Israel should participate in any international competition,” Sanchez declared, drawing criticism from Israeli officials and Spanish conservatives alike.

Sanchez has emerged as one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Gaza policy, straining relations between the two countries. Israel has not had an ambassador in Spain since Madrid recognised the state of Palestine in 2024. Last week, Spain recalled its ambassador to Israel following contentious exchanges over the new measures.

According to Barcelona-based Delas Centre, a security research institute, Spain has awarded 46 contracts worth $1.044 billion to Israeli companies since the start of the Gaza war, based on public tender data.

By Tamilla Hasanova